One Kunoichi's Lament, Another Shinobi's Joy
by Uchihaflower14
Summary: Shika and Ino have been friends as long as she can remember. But then a tragedy happens and she is left with nothing but her regrets. third chapter coming tomorrow. :
1. Humpty Dumpty

"It's too late."

That was the medic's verdict. "No, it's not." I thought to myself. "Just hurry up and give him the meds so we can go back!"

We were on the outskirts of the Kingdom of the Mist searching for the spies that were our current mission's target. It had started as ordinary day out. Making the rounds, searching obscure villages. Shikamaru saw the insignia peeking out from underneath the man's sleeve. The spinning ribbons that marked the members of the particular clan we needed. We followed him when he got up, to see where he would go, hoping he would lead us to the rest. But he caught us off guard, a thing that we can never afford to have happen. He had seen us watching him and knew we were on his tail. He waited until he rounded a bend in the alley. When we emerged from around the corner, some ways back, he had already taken off running into the busy market. He was slipping away. By some stroke of doom I spotted him and got on his tail without thinking.

I forgot my weapons.

The next events happened in slow motion for me. I was gaining on the man, and saw the raw panic in his eyes as I caught up with him. I watched as his terror became mirth and he laughed, the tables having been turned. His cronies had arrived. They sent a shower of kunai cascading over my head. Horrified, I put my arms up in front of my face. It proved unnecessary. Shikamaru was suddenly in front of me, taking my place...

...

I pushed past the little crowd gathered around him, all the while my numb brain trying to process what I had just witnessed, what the medic had just said. I tried to grasp the fact that it was "too late". I fell to my knees on the dusty street. I felt like pulling at my hair and screaming, but I didn't. Something about the strangers surrounding me made the situation seem too serious, too real. But it couldn't be real. Shikamaru couldn't be pouring blood from his chest, looking more like a corpse than a live person. It was childish, but I closed my eyes and opened them - half expecting the people to be gone, and that I would instead see the vast expanse of dry, empty land as we traveled back to Konoha. I had often been known to nod off at odd times. So I pinched myself. It turned purple as my nails bit into my bare skin harder and harder. My breathing grew heavy as I began to panic. I looked on with half-crazed eyes as the medic tried to save him, trying to stop the blood. "Trying to put Humpty together again."

Shika's hand reached up for mine. His fingers weakly but insistently pulled at mine, until my own were dislodged from my skin. With his other he waved away the people . " Give me some time with her. I'm dying. There's nothing you can do. Just let me say goodbye to her," he croaked. The medic tried insisting on staying, but when the others left, he stepped obediently back and turned his eyes towards the sun - giving us our final time alone. Shikamaru's hand curled around mine again. He shifted both of my hands to one of his own big tanned hands; they were so large that just one was enough to hold my little white ones. His hand was warm, rough, and sticky. I felt nauseated; it was sticky with blood. He pulled me down to him and lay me across his red stained chest. Normally I would have protested; I had always firmly told everyone who asked that we were _just friends_. But how could I refuse when this was what we both needed? Besides, we had but minutes left. I shouldn't waste them arguing. His strong arms encircled me and for a moment... just a moment, I could indulge myself and pretend that he wasn't dying. For just a moment I reflected on our story. It was a story of lamentations...

Hello, Hello!

Since I am in the middle of exams, I'll probably just be posting revised chapters to my old stories for about a week. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Uchihaflower14


	2. First

I was nine. Just a kid exploring with her best friend. At eleven years old, Shika was a better hiker than I was, having to help me over all the rocks and fallen tree branches. It didn't help that I was clutching my little doll with one hand. I made him stop every time we saw a pretty flower so that I could pick it. My arms were already filled with a sweet-smelling bouquet. With all the "stopping to smell the roses", covering any amount of ground was taking us quite awhile, but finally we reached the little meadow that was our destination. He clasped my hand and we emerged through the trees. There were people already there - a group of boys about eleven and twelve. They were fighting.

"Hey!" I shouted.

"Ino," Shikamaru said in a warning tone. I ignored him, running to where they were throwing punches at each other.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked them, infuriated. " This is private property." They looked at me, laughing at my size. The tallest, and obviously the head of their little gang, approached me. He bent down, looking me straight in the eye.

"Oh yeah, punk? Whatcha gonna do about it?" I was about to finish telling them off. Shikamaru hurried up to us. He glared at the boy and pulled me behind him.

"It's not worth it, Ino. Come on, let's go."

" No!" I argued. " They can't be here." I stepped out from his protecting arms and lunged at the boy. The boy behind me shot his arm out at my face. Shika sprung, pushing me out of the way and taking the blow. He winced and buckled to his knees. Two more boys held me back, squeezing my arms to the point of pain.

"Shikamaru!" I screamed. The head boy sauntered over to Shikamaru. He smirked seeing the thin line of blood his crony had caused.

"Well, well. What do we have here? The little girl's knight in shining armor, huh? A bit small to protect her, though don't you think?" He knelt in front of Shika, running his finger over the blood on his cheek. Shikamaru grunted, in pain. He looked into the eyes of the villain, his own eyes radiating strength.

"I'll do whatever it takes to protect her," said Shikamaru. The other boy just scoffed.

"Do you here that boys? This little squirt will do _anything _ to protect his little princess. Isn't that sweet," he mocked.

He brought his fist back and punched his victim's nose as hard as he could. It crunched and blood trickled down his face.

" Do you want to change that answer, punk? Still think you could do anything to protect her?"

Crumpled on the ground, Shika managed to gasp out, "Anything." The boy nodded at the one's holding me back. I shrieked. They were breaking my arms.

"No," Shikamaru pleaded. " Don't hurt her. Let her go. Please, I'll do anything." The boy's eyes glinted and he gestured for the others to release me. I moaned with pain as I fell to the ground, landing on my already broken arm.

"Fight me."

" No, Shikamaru!" I sobbed on the grass, to weak to get up and stop him myself. Shika looked at me, considering.

"How troublesome… Ino, can you walk?" Shikamaru murmured.

" Yes," I answered, unable to see where he was leading.

"Get away from here."

" No," I insisted my voice hard.

He sighed. "Ino, you got us into this, I going to get you out."

" What about you?" I asked stubbornly, rising shakily to my feet. He didn't answer. I ran to him, pulling him to me, crying on his shoulder.

" Please, Please," I gasped. He shook his head. His flexed his muscles and hugged me closer to him. It was too short. He let me go.

Shika spoke again, this time to the other boy," Can one of your friends make sure she gets home? Can I trust them to do that without hurting her?"

"Yes," he answered, smiling as if he wasn't about to pummel my best friend.

I was dragged out of the clearing by my good arm. I tried to resist, but the boy was strong.

He covered my eyes before we got out saying, "Trust me you don't want to see that. He doesn't stand a chance."

The last thing I heard was a shout of pain. Then I fainted.

It was all my fault.

My first lament.


	3. Seconds

I was twelve. Just a preteen minding her own business. There could be no reason that I had gotten on the clique's bad side, could there? I went over the past few days in my mind. I hadn't gossiped in years. I hadn't spoken to them in weeks and they hadn't noticed me in months. So why were they coming my way? The hall was empty, so there was no one else they could be meaning to approach. It was a dead end by my locker, so they couldn't be going to class or the bathroom. I crossed my arms and glared at them as they walked up to me.

" Hey Ino!" I had no idea why this was happening. I wished I knew what they wanted. I wished they would leave me alone. I wished... I wished Shikamaru was here. Shikamaru? My mind retorted, surprised. Why? I couldn't answer the nagging voice, so instead I replied to Ami.

" Hi Ami. Rin, Botan." Ami stroked her brown waves, her malicious eyes raking over my outfit. Suddenly self conscious, I pulled my cream sweater closer, as if by some sudden magic it could whisk me away, or punch Ami in her stupid face, whichever. Rin leaned over to Botan whispering something in her ear. Botan snickered, her wide brown doe eyes narrowing to slits. These same, once kind eyes were the thing that had caused her to be named Botan by her mother, after the peony flower that exuded serenity and innocence. The kindness in them, however had soon been lost, about the time that Ami had adopted the tall foreign girl. Now she, Rin, and Ami ruled the school.

" Well, Ino, we were just thinking about ... What's that freak's name? You know, the one you always sit next to at lunch."

" Shikamaru?" I said in surprise. Rin smirked at the mention of his name. Something urged me to knock her senseless. Then _I_ would have something to laugh about.

" Yeah, him. Weeeell-" I hated the sound of her voice. " We were just wondering if you like him." I blinked. Once. Twice. I was completely taken aback.

" Excuse me?" I sputtered. My heart was racing. I could just see the problems this would create. I didn't like him, though. So why couldn't I just tell them that? My tongue turned to lead in my mouth, preventing me from saying the words I needed to get out of this mess.

Ami shared a sly smile with Rin and Botan. She had me and she knew it. Now I would be the laughing stock of the school. I could see the headlines now.

" So, do you?" I could feel their breath on my face. I was backed in a corner in every sense of the word. My eyes roved frantically around, looking for an escape route. My eyes caught on something in the shadows, a boy.

It was Shikamaru. He had probably been there the whole time, and he was staying to watch me get humiliated. How could he betray me like that? In a whiplash of fury, I struck out.

" No way. I could never like a coward like him, always hiding in the shadows like he is." Ami nodded, finally satisfied. I stuck my tongue out at Shika over their heads. I would forgive him for watching this later, and he would forgive me for saying the things that I did.

" Well, if you're not going to sit with him anymore, you could sit with us. There's always room at our table." Ami said batting her eyelashes coyly, a bad habit she had developed. I was shocked, but felt it a good bite for Shikamaru. I was still mad at him; what better way to get him ticked than sit with our enemies? His enemies now. Ami linked arms with me, an unhappy Rin and Botan following our tail.

The words coming out of my mouth took seconds to say.

It took me seconds to pass him on my way to snack with Ami.

It took me seconds to realize, on passing him and seeing his face, that he may have had other motives for watching me.

It took me seconds to realize what those motives were.

It took me centuries to forgive myself for hurting him.

We were best friends but he loved me as more.

And I had hurt him.

It was my second lament.

Okay,

So I realize I made Ino a little bit ooc. I apologize for that. I'll try to do better next time! As always, thanks for reading and I don't own Naruto.

Love

Uchihaflower14


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